Trim panel



Patented June 12, 1945 National Automotive Fibres, Inc.,

Detroit,

Mich., a corporation of Delaware.

Application September 27, 1943, Serial No. 503,993, which is a division of application Serial No. 348,291, July 29, 1940. Dividedand this application March 13, .1944, Serial No. 526,275

11 Claims.

This invention relates generally to trim panels, especially'decorated trim panels for the interior of doors or other portions of vehicle bodies, and constitutes a division of my-application filed September 27, 1943, bearing SerialNo. 503,993, which is a division of my application filed July 29, 1940, hearing Serial No. 348,291, now Patent No. 2,334,-

It has been suggested in the past to cover trim panels and other interior trim of automotive vehicles with'fabrics of different colors or shades so as to provide a two tone or multple-tone effect. In the past this has been accomplished by sewing the two fabrics together to provide a composite fabric, which maythen be applied to trim panels or other interior portions of the vehicle. The sewed seam between the two different fabrics presented an unattractive appearance, and efforts were made to concealthis scam in the past. One manner of concealing the seam was to provide a metal molding strip which was tacked through the fabric to the panel board and was intended to overlie and conceal the seam- Obviously the seam had to be perfectly straight, and while there was no difliculty in sewing straight seams, application of the composite fabric to the panel board had to be carried out with extreme care, so that the seam could be covered by a narrow strip of moldingmetal.

According to the present invention, two pieces of fabric which are to be united for a composite interior trim fabric are connected by means of a metal strip of a particular design, as will subsequently bepointed out. As a result, this strip insures that the seam orline Of juncture between the pieces of fabric will be straight both before and after the composite fabric has been applied to the panel board. i

In addition, this metal strip serves as a reinforcing means for the panel, so that by employing my improved constructon it is possible to use a lighter and therefore less expensive foundation panel board. 1 i

A number of different effects may be obtained by slightly modified forms of metallic securing strip, however at the present time it is sufllcient to mention that by employing my improved metallic locking strip, it is possible to obtain the effect ofa metal molding strip. If preferred, it is possible to obtain the effect of a straight seam without an exposed, intervening metallic molding strip. It is further possible to obtain a bead or riser intermediate two pieces of fabric which is "covered with a different contrasting or harmonizing fabric.

1 as the description .proceeds, and when taken in It may also be pointed out that, if desired, the molding strip may be curved to any desired configuration so as to obtain different decorative designs.

With the foregoing general remarks in mind, it is an object of the present invention .to provide two-tone trim panels of novel characteristics.

It is a further object of the invention to provide novel means for securing two .piecesof fabric together. 1

It is a further object of the invention to provide trim panels characterized by the provision of contrasting or harmonizing fabrics in conjunction with an exposed metallic or fabric covered riser of novel design.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a trim panel provided with reinforcing metallic strips, which also were utilized to interlock adjacent pieces of trim fabric,v

It is a further object of the present'invention to provide a fabric having a stiff bead permanently united to one edge thereof along a line which may be straighter-of predetermined curvature.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent conjunction with the wherein: v

Figure 1 is'a front elevation of a trim panel i1- lustrating the possible design-which may be obtained by the present invention;

Figure 2 is a section on the line,2-"-2, Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a front elevation illustrating a somewhat diiferent specific design of trim panel;

Figure 4 is ,a fragmentary cross sectional view through a covered strip and associated parts of an assembly embodying my invention;

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 9- -9 of Figure 1.

Referring first to Figures 1 and 2, I have illusaccompanying drawing,

trated generally at i9 an upholstered trim panel comprising a panel board ll, padding material l2, trim fabrics l3, l4 and I5, and the metallic locking strip It. i

It willbe understood thatthe padding material l2 may be of any desired type, and it may be 'tion of the panel.

well at this time to mention briefly the construc- The foundation panel board I i may be an asphalt board or a panel board sold under thetrade'name Masonite. The padding material [2 may be wadding of a suitabe type, or it may be loosely aggregated cotton, jute, or other fibrous material. The purpose of the padding material is to give an appearance ofrichness to the completed panel which is otherwise not obtained.

Panels of this type are adapted to be secured to doors of vehicles and it is to be understood that while I have illustrated my invention as applied to a trim panel for attachment to a door, the invention is not thus limited. The invention may be applied to other panels, and in fact, as will be obvious, its application is more or less general. Thus, it may be used for decorative trim in vehicles, homes, stores, theatres and the like.

By way of example, the trim panel illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 may be covered by a composite trim fabric made up of the fabric pieces l3, l4 and I5. The upper pieces I5 may, for example, be of a dark tone, whereas the pieces l3 and I4 may be of a harmonizing or contrasting color or shade. The metallic strip I6 has a bead or riser intermediate the pieces of fabrics l3 and M which is exposed and which may, of course, be chromium plated or otherwise treated to p esent an attractive appearance.

In Figure 3 I have illustrated a somewhat different design for the purpose Of indicating the flexibility of the present invention. In this case the trim panel indicated generally at may be covered with a composite trim fabric comprising an upper portion 2|, which may be of a definite color, and a lower portion 22 which may be of a harmonizing or contrasting color. The pieces 2| and 22 are secured together along the line 23, a metallic strip of the type disclosed herein being employed. Intermediate the lower portion 22 I provide a decorative fabric insert 24 which may be of the same color as the upper portion 2|, or of a different harmonizing or contrasting color. The lines of conjuncture 25 between the insert 24 and the fabric 22 are formed by metallic strips of the type disclosed herein, a will later be pointed out.

It may be stated at this time that while the invention is most readily practiced in a, manner to provide straight-line seams of the conjunctures, it need not be limited thereto, and it is within the contemplation of the present invention that the metallic strip may be curved transversely to provide curved or irregular lines of conjunctures between the various pieces of fabric. Referring now to Figure 4, I have illustrated a method of employing the strips. In Figure 4 I have indicated in section a strip which is made of a light bendable metal. I have found that excellent results are obtained where these strips are formed of brass, but it is obvious that any suitable material may be employed. I prefer to employ metal, but it is entirely possible that other materials, such for example as suitable resins, might be employed. Thus, for example, resins might be formed to the same shape as the metallicstrips, and the interlock between the fabrics and the strips could be obtained by the application of heat to the resin strips.

I have found that where brass is employed as the material from which the strips 30 are formed, best results are obtained when the strip is between .010 and .015 inch in thickness. Obviously the thickness of the strip is not critical, and will be selected with well-known practice and in accordance with the specific material employed.

As previously stated, by employing my improved metal locking strip, it is possible to use a lighter gauge panel board H, for the reason that the metal strip 3!) serves as a reinforcing means which strengthens and lends certain rigidity to the panel board. It will be understood, of course, that the light gauge strips 30 are not themselves extremely rigid and will conform to the curvature of the panel board when the same is required to assume a curvature during its application.

A illustrated in Figure 4, the strip 30 has a base portion 3| provided at one longitudinal edge thereof with an open return bent flange 32 and provided at the other longitudinal edge with a raised hollow bead or riser 33.

If desired, the metal strip 30 may be mounted directly upon the panel board beside suitable padding 30a, as illustrated in Figure 4, or may be mounted upon an edge portion |4a of the fabric piece I4 between laterally spaced padding 30a and 301), as illustrated in Figure 5. However, in either instance the outer side wall 34 of the raised bead 33 terminates above and in spaced relation to said panel board. Preferably the trim fabric l5 extends over the padding 30a and the return bent flange 32 of the strip and i provided at one side of the raised bead 33 with an inturned or folded edge portion |5a that extends between the flange 32 and the base 3| of the strip, while a covering 31 formed from plastic material is provided for the bead 32 and has a lateral flange 38 extending between the inturned edge portion 5a of the fabric and the base 3| of the strip. This covering 31 conforms in shape to the bead 33 and is provided in the space between th lower edge 39 0f the outside wall 34 thereof and the panel board II with an inturned flange 40.

If desired, tangs 4| may be struck out from the flange 32, or from the base 3| of the strip to pierce and hold the inturned edge portion |5a of the fabric against displacement relative to the strip. Also, suitable fastening elements such as staples 42 may extend through the return bent flange 32 of the strip, inturned edge portion |5a of the fabric, flange 38 of the covering and base 3| of the strip for engagement with the panel board II to hold the parts in assembled relation.

As is Well-known, plastics suitable for the covering 31 may be obtained in a Wide variety of colors, thus this arrangement enables a manufacturer t produce any desired harmony or contrast between the covering 31 and either or both trim fabrics mentioned.

The metallic strips previously described may be very cheaply constructed and the metal employed in them is, of course, very inexpensive. As a result, the material going to make up the trim panel is no more expensive than present day constructions which lackthe flexibility of design in the present construction. In addition, the present strips lend themselves to very rapid assembly and do not required highly skilled labor. As a result, the labor costs of assembling the completed panels is no more expensive than present less attractive panels, and is in fact considerably less expensive than present types of assembly which obtain anything like equivalent results.

Reference was previously made to the fact that instead of employing metallic strips, strips of other material could be employed. By employing metallic strips the interlock formed by the tangs 4| is exceptionally eflicient, but in its broader aspects, the invention need not be practiced with metallic strips. If a strip of resinous material or adhesive coated bendable cardboard were employed, it would still be possible to obtain perfectly straight seams having straight folded edges, which is very desirable in this type of construction. If the strips were formed of ployed, it wouldbe necessary only to apply suflicient pressure to cause initial setting of the adhesive.

i It may also be mentioned that rubber may be employedas the locking medium. Thus, for example, the strips may be formed of any suitable material and provided with thin unvulcanized rubber coatings, or provided with a film of vulcanizing latex. The final assembly of the operation would then include the application of heat and pressure to vulcanize the rubber, thus forming a perfect bond between the strips and fabrics.

What I claim as my invention is: l

1. In a trim structure, a panel board, a molding strip having a substantially flat base portion resting upon said panel board and having a raised hollow bead opening toward said panel board, the base portion having an open return bent flange extending toward but terminating short of the adjacent side of said head, the remote side of said bead terminating short of the panel board, a trim fabric extending over the return bent flange and having an inturned edge portion extending between said flange and adjacent side of said bead and anchored between the base portion and return bent flange of said molding strip, acovering'for the bead conforming in shape thereto and formed from plastic material, said covering having a lateral flange between the edge portion of saidfabric and the base portion of the molding strip and having an inturned flange between the panel board and said remote side of the bead, and means concealed by said fabric and engaging the panel board for holding the parts in assembled relation, including a securing' element extending through the return bent flange and base portion of the molding strip, through the edge portion of 'said fabric, through the lateral flange of the covering and anchored to said panel board.

2. In a trim structure, a panel board, a molding strip having a substantially flat base portion resting upon saidpanel board and having a raised hollow bead opening toward said panel board, the base portion having an open return bent flange extending toward but terminating short of the adjacent side of said bead, the remote side of said bead terminating short of the panel'board, a trim fabric extending over the return bent flangeand having an inturned edge portion extending between said flange and adjacent side of said head and anchored between the base portion and return bent flange of said molding strip, a covering for the bead conforming in shape thereto, said covering having a lateral flange between the edge portionof said fabric and the base portion of the molding strip, and means concealed by said fabric and engaging the panel board for holding the parts in assembled relation, including a securing element extending through the return bent flange andbase portion of the molding strip, through the edge portion of said fabric, through the lateral flange of the covering and anchored to said panel board.

3. Ina trim structure, a panel board, a mold- 'ing strip having a substantially flat base portion resting upon said panel board and having a raised hollow bead opening toward said panel board, the base portion having an open return bent flange extending toward but terminating short of the adjacent sideof said bead, the remote side of said bead terminating short of the panel board, a trim fabric extending over the return bent flange and having an inturned edge portion extending between said flange and adjacent side of said bead and anchored between the base portion and return bent flange of said molding strip, a covering for the bead conforming in shape thereto and formed from plastic material, said covering having a lateral flange between the edge portion of said fabric and the base portion of the molding strip and having an inturned flange between the panel board and said remote side of the bead, and means-concealed by said fabric and engaging the panel board for holding the parts in assembled relation.

4. In a trim structure, a panel board, a molding strip having a substantially flat base portion resting upon said panel board and having-a raised hollow bead opening towardsaid panel board, the

base portion having an open return bent flange extending toward but terminating short of the adjacent side of said bead, the remote side of said bead terminating short of the panel board, a trim fabric extending over the return bent flange and having an inturned-edge portion extending between said flange and adjacent side of said bead and anchored between the base portion and returnbent flange of said molding strip, a covering for the bead conformin in shape thereto, said covering having a lateral flange between the edge portion of said fabric and the base portion of the molding strip, and means concealed by said fabric and engaging the panel board for holding the parts inassembled relation. v

5. In a trim structure, a panel board, padding material spaced apart on said panel board and cooperating therewith to provide an outwardly opening channel shaped recess, a trim fabric extending over the padding material upon one side of the recess and having an edge portion engaging in surface to surface relation the panel board at the bottom of said recess, a molding strip within said recess having a substantially flat base portion resting upon said edge portion of the fabric and having a raised hollow bead opening toward said edge portion, the base portion having an open return bent flange extending toward but terminating short of the adjacent side of said bead, the remote side of said bead terminatin short of theedge portion of said fabric, another trim fabric extending over the padding material upon the other side of said recess and over the return bent flange and having an inturned edge portion extending between said flange and adjacent side of said bead and anchored between the base portion and return bent flange of said molding strip, a covering for the bead conforming in shape thereto and formed from plastic material, said covering having a lateral flange between the edge portion of the second fabric and the base portion of .the molding strip and having an inturned flange between the edge portion of the first fabric and said remote side of the bead, and means concealed by at least one of said fabrics and engaging the panel board for holding the parts in assembled relation, including a securing element extending through the return bent flange and base portion of the molding strip, through the edge portions aforesaid of both fabrics, throughthe lateral flange of the covering and anchored to said panel board.

6. In a trim structure, a panel board, a trim fabric having an edge portion engaging the panel board, a molding strip having a substantially flat base portion resting upon said edge portion of the fabric and having a raised hollow bead opening toward said edge portion, the base portion having an open return bent flange extending toward but terminating short of the adjacent side of said bead, the remote side of said bead terminating short of the edge portion of said fabric, another trim fabric extending over the return bent flange and having an inturned edge portion extending between said flange and adjacent side of said head and anchored between the base portion and return bent flange of said molding strip, a covering for the bead conforming in shape thereto and said covering having a lateral flange between the edge portion of the second fabric and the base portion of the molding strip, and means concealed by at least one of said fabrics and engaging the panel board for holding the parts in assembled relation, including a securing element extending through the return bent flange and base portion of the molding strip, through the edge portions aforesaid of both fabrics, through the lateral flange of the covering and anchored to said panel board.

7. In a trim structure, a panel board, padding material spaced apart on said panel board and cooperating therewith to provide an outwardly opening channel shaped recess, a trim fabric extending over the padding material upon one side of the recess and havin an edge portion engaging in surface to surface relation the panel board at the bottom of said recess, a molding strip within said recess having a substantially flat base portion resting upon said edge portion of the fabric and having a raised hollow bead opening toward said edge portion, the base portion having an open return bent flange extending toward but terminating short of the adjacent side of said bead, the remote side of said bead terminating short of the edge portion of said fabric, another trim fabric extending over the padding material upon the other side of said recess and over the return bent flange and having an inturned edge portion extending between said flange and adjacent side of said bead and anchored between the base portion and return bent flange of said molding strip, a covering for the bead conforming in shape thereto and formed from plastic material, said covering havin a lateral flange between the edge portion of the second fabric and the base portion of the molding strip and having an inturned flange between the edge portion of the first fabric and said remote side of the bead, and means concealed by at least one of said fabrics and engaging the panel board for holding the parts in assembled relation.

8. In a trim structure, a panel board, a trim fabric having an edge portion engaging the panel board, a molding strip having a substantially flat base portion resting upon said edge portion of the fabric and having a raised hollow bead opening toward said edge portion, the base portion having an open return bent flange extending toward but terminating short of the adjacent side of said bead, the remote side of said bead terminating short of the edge portion of said fabric, another trim fabric extending over the return bent flange and having an inturned edge portion extending between said flange and adjacent side of said bead and anchored between the base portion and return bent flange of said molding strip, a covering for the bead conforming in shape thereto and said covering having a lateral flange between the edge portion of the second fabric and the base portion of the molding strip, and means concealed by at least one of said fabrics and engaging the panel board for holding the parts in assembled relation.

9. In a trim structure, a panel board, a molding strip having a base substantially parallel to said board and provided at opposite longitudinal edges of said base with an open return bent flange and a raised bead, a covering for said bead having a lateral flange between the base and return bent flange of the strip, said covering being formed from plastic material and conforming in shape to said bead, a trim fabric extending over said return bent flange and having an inturned edge portion between the lateral flange of the covering and the return bent flange of the strip, and means connecting the inturned edge portion of the fabric, lateral flange of the covering and the return bent flange and baseof the strip to said panel board.

10. In a trim structure, a panel board, a molding strip having a base substantially parallel to said board and provided at opposite longitudinal edges of said base with an open return bent flange and a raised bead, the side of said bead remote to said base terminating short of the panel board, a covering for said bead having a lateral flange between the base and return bent flange of the strip, said covering having an inturned flange between the panel board and said remote side of the bead, a trim fabric extending over said return bent flange and having an inturned edge portion between the lateral flange of the covering and the return bent flange of the strip, and means connecting the inturned edge portion of the fabric, lateral flange of the covering and the return bent flange and base of the strip to said panel board.

11. In a trim structure, a panel board, a molding strip on the board and having a raised bead, a trim fabric extending over a portion of said strip and provided at one side of said bead with an inturned edge portion, a covering for the bead substantially conforming in shape thereto and formed from plastic material, said covering extending between the fabric and bead and having a lateral flange underneath the inturned edge portion of said fabric, means carried by the strip for holding both the inturned edge portion of the fabric and the underlying flange of the covering, and means holding the fabric, strip, and covering in assembled relation on said panel board.

EDWARD R. DETRICK. 

